Uncanny Case No. 011: The Green Children of Woolpit

The "Green Children of Woolpit" is a folk tale from 12th-century England about two mysterious children with green-hued skin who appeared in the village of Woolpit, Suffolk. They spoke an unknown language and would eat only beans. Eventually, they adapted to a normal diet, their skin lost its green color, and they learned English. The children explained that they came from a place called St Martin's Land, a dark, underground world. The boy became sick and died, but the girl thrived and integrated into society, describing her homeland as a place with no sunlight. The story has been interpreted variously as a supernatural tale, an allegory, or a historical account of displaced foreigners.